


The Alpaca Hat

by kamja



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, NYC (Band)
Genre: High School, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-07
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-12-14 04:58:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/833009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamja/pseuds/kamja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chinen and Yamada are two Chicago high school students skipping class one winter's day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Alpaca Hat

They decided to ditch school in the middle of math class, and before the end of the passing period, Yamada and Chinen were already outside. The sharp winter air crystallized into white puffs as they walked along the narrow street lined with old houses. The frost had settled onto the dried front gardens, freezing over the half-filled birdbaths. Here and there, a delivery man dropped off packages on someone's doorstep. A floppy-eared dog cocked its head from a window when they passed, but didn't bark. The lake was just a pale blue line over the highway, and there was a lone jogger doing stretches on the shore. Chinen zipped his jacket higher up; seeing that jogger in her thin yoga pants made him feel cold. 

The bus stop was deserted when they reached it, and Chinen rummaged in his backpack for his bus pass while Yamada texted the stop number for updates. The automated system replied just moments later, making his phone ring loudly because he'd forgotten to silence it before class. Chinen laughed at him, and threatened to text him during third period someday, when he had study hall but Yamada had Spanish.

Yamada wore a ridiculous knitted hat made from alpaca wool. Anyone could tell that, because the knitter included some blue alpacas in the pattern. They stood under what looked like palm trees to Chinen, though Yamada looked offended and said he'd never buy anything _that_ dumb. The hat made the ends of his hair flip from underneath, and when Chinen pulled on one of the tassels, Yamada just flashed his brilliant, chipmunk-cheeked smile. By the time the bus approached, Chinen was wearing that hat, and Yamada's hands were underneath the ear flaps, warming the sides of Chinen's face. He was teasing him, and Chinen could feel a blush erupt on his face, warming him faster than anyone's hands. He was about to say something, but then Yamada pulled away to get on the bus.

It was crowded, and Yamada made Chinen take the only open seat while he stood. Every now and then, the bus would sway and Yamada's legs would knock against Chinen's knees. The bus trundled south towards downtown, and they got out at the Italian cafe across the street from Millennium Park. They stopped for lunch, gawking at the menu items while pretending to be tourists and not students playing hooky. They bought hazelnut gelato just because they could, and sat down at one of the stark white tables. Outside, a man from the Salvation Army adjusted his Santa hat and continued ringing his bell for donations. They watched him for a little while, and Chinen reached over and took a sip from Yamada's soda. Chinen's eyes slid over to look at Yamada, who didn't say a word.

A group of businessmen came in loudly, so they finished up quickly and headed outside. The cold seemed to hit them twice, once inside their bellies from the gelato, and again when the lingering heat from the cafe interior dissipated. They stopped at the shop next door to look at the gemstone-encrusted clock on display before crossing the street to Millennium Park. 

The ice rink was half-deserted, despite the foot traffic along Michigan Avenue and inside the park. The tourists were more interested in taking reflections of themselves on that huge silver sculpture that loomed over everything. As a frequent visitor to the park, Chinen noticed that people always did the same things, like jumping up and down or taking a photo of their reflection from overhead, shortening their bodies. He supposed it was a lot of fun to interact with it, though he preferred seeing the reflective top melt into the sky on clear days when looking at it from afar. Christmas carols blasted over the speakers as Yamada and Chinen changed into skates. They hit the ice and Yamada promptly fell down, yelping in surprise. Chinen laughed while he helped him up. It was a fluke, Yamada assured him, as he dodged a small child and held out his hand. 

Chinen hesitated but grabbed it, and they circled the rink once, twice, three times. "Silver Bells" started playing. When they passed by the skate rental hut for the fourth time, Chinen slid to a stop.

"What are we?" He couldn't stand it any longer. 

Yamada cocked his head to the side like that dog in the window. His hair ruffled in the chilly breeze. Chinen was still wearing his hat. He didn't answer and slowly started skating again, pulling Chinen reluctantly along. They skated in silence for a half-round, though the mood seemed to darken. When a child fell down on the other side of the rink and started bawling, all heads turned that way except for Yamada's, who leaned in and gave Chinen a kiss.

"That hat looks good on you," he said when he pulled away. Chinen's face was flushed again. He still tasted like hazelnuts and sugar. "I knew it would, when I bought it.


End file.
